Last week, in Employee News 31 issued on Friday 24 April, I advised that coronavirus (Covid-19) testing was now available for HSCP employees delivering social care services with details of how testing should be accessed.
This update outlines the details of a further extension of testing, for a wider range of key workers and the Scottish Government has set out a prioritisation matrix for identifying which key workers should be able to access testing in Scotland. Four groups have been identified:
- Priority Group 1: Health and social care workers; staff working in residential institutions and essential roles where service resilience is at risk.
- Priority Group 2: Essential workers in critical national infrastructure fundamental for safety and security, and life-line services.
- Priority Group 3: Staff directly involved in delivering other essential services.
- Priority Group 4: Staff involved in volunteering, or in nationally or locally significant industry important to economic sustainability and growth.
Please Note: Those who are in Priority Group 1 should continue to access testing through the NHS in Scotland. Testing continues to be prioritised for Health and Social Care workers with the aim of ensuring these critical staff can return to work as soon as it is safe to do so.
Arrangements for Testing for Priority Groups 2, 3 and 4
At this time the arrangements in place are:
- The UK Government drive thru testing facilities are for key workers who are self-isolating because they are symptomatic, or household members over 5 years of age who are symptomatic.
- The UK Government drive thru testing is only for people within a 90 minute drive of the location. Workers will also have to be able to maintain strict isolation measures during this commute.
Access to Testing
You can get an appointment at one of the drive thru testing centres if you are a key worker and you or a member of your family is symptomatic. It is important to arrange a test within the first five days of symptoms appearing (and ideally within the first three days). The test is not reliable after the fifth day of symptoms.
There are two routes for accessing the UK Testing Programme:
(i) The Employer Portal
Any Line Managers looking to refer any employee for testing on the basis of a request being made should contact the individuals listed below who will then process all applications for testing through the Employer Portal:
- Anne Marie Cunningham – Team Leader – HR Operations – Telephone 0141 574 5535 or via email: annemarie_cunningham@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
- Shona Diack – Wellbeing Adviser – Internal (6013463) or shona.diack@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
(ii) The Employee Portal
Employees who are symptomatic and are categorised as key workers can be tested. To book a test directly, employees should go to: www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19/test-and-protect/coronavirus-covid-19-testing
Eligible key workers will be notified of where to go to get their test through the booking arrangements confirmed through either the Employer Portal or Employee Portal.
These portals are experiencing very high volumes of demand and you may experience delays in being able to access them at peak periods of demand. Demand is being monitored very closely and technical difficulties being addressed as quickly as possible.
We will continue to keep you advised when further updates become available. We have attached a series of FAQs below and if you have any further questions in the meantime, please raise these through your line manager.
Thank you
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive, Education, People & Business
29 April 2020
COVID-19: Key Worker Testing now Extended
FAQs published Wednesday 29 April 2020
What the changes mean for keyworkers in Scotland?
Access to Covid testing in Scotland has been widened and will now be determined via a prioritisation matrix for key workers that includes a broader range of private sector workers and essential services.
Who can be now be tested?
All symptomatic people categorised as key workers and members of their household can be tested. The list of workers able to access testing comprises:
- Staff delivering NHS services, providing social care to protect and care for the most vulnerable, all NHS staff and independent contractors working for the NHS, including community pharmacy and emergency dental care, and all social care staff work with vulnerable people and the social care system, including care homes, care at home and children’s services.
- Staff with face-to-face roles in residential institutions with people in the care of the state, those who are working essential services with niche roles, where service resilience is at risk, including operational staff in prisons, staff working with looked after children, those working on critical national infrastructure (e.g. energy supply) with niche skills essential to maintain services safely and defence staff living in Scotland who fall within the MOD’s very highest priority category for testing.
- Essential workers in critical national infrastructure fundamental for safety and security, and life-line services. This includes defence personnel, environmental protection, animal health and welfare, funeral industry and staff working for third sector organisations supporting people and children who are vulnerable, including grant aided schools, food supply chain and food processing workers, and workers on medicines and pharmaceutical supply, chemicals supply, energy and water supply.
- Staff directly involved in delivering other essential services. This includes staff providing child care for key workers, public transport workers, postal services, financial services, supermarket workers, construction and essential public services, court and Crown Office staff.
- Staff involved in volunteering, or in nationally or locally significant industry important to economic sustainability and growth
Can key workers who do not have symptoms get tested?
The test is only guaranteed to be accurate if someone is symptomatic.
Testing is still targeted at those key workers who are self-isolating because they are symptomatic, or have household members who are symptomatic, to help enable critical workers to return to work as soon as safely possible.
Where can I find out more?
- Employees who have been referred for a test can seek assistance from the Coronavirus Testing Helpdesk on 0300 303 2713 for any technical issues related to their booking.
- Further information about the NHS testing programme in Scotland can be found here - www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19/test-and-protect/coronavirus-covid-19-testing
You can also contact your line manager or Leeanne Galasso, HR & OD Manager, on 6018121 (internally) or on 0141 578 8121 (externally) or by mobile on 07825 753 813.